When a season of a show has finished it is always frustrating to have to wait a while for the next one. House of Cards is one of those shows where that feeling is very strong for me. Of course it doesn’t help that Netflix releases all episodes at once and for this fourth season it took me only four days to watch it all. At the end of the previous season the tension between Frank (Kevin Spacey) and Claire (Robin Wright) Underwood kept going up and the scene was set for a big battle between these two titans who both are not willing (or able) to give in. Together they reached the top, but now Claire also wants to realize her own ambitions.
The campaigns for the presidential elections of 2016 are in full swing. So this means trouble for Frank as he isn’t able to show up together with Claire all the time. His biggest rival seems to be Will Conway (Joel Kinnaman), the current governor of New York, who is a real challenger. Unlike Frank he has really fought in the army, he is a master in using social media and gives everyone access to his personal (often staged) family moments. He is able to use his position to make Frank look bad. It’s not the only thing though which keeps Frank busy as the investigation by the journalists from past seasons is continued here, the tension between America and Russia rises again and a new enemy is introduced.
Even though I really enjoyed the previous season, there were a lot of people who weren’t a fan because it was less about the way handled in the seasons before it. He was the top dog and that meant different issues he had to handle. The threat to his position is much bigger in this season and as a viewer you do wonder whether or not he will be able to give all the bad events that take place a positive spin. It makes for a season which is a joy to watch and even does it a bit better compared to the previous one.
House of Cards is a show which has always looked good and season four is no exception. The sets are impressive, each character well dressed and the lighting always sets the mood. Many characters from previous seasons return (even a couple you won’t suspect) and it treats you to a couple of shocking surprises. Fans of “the adventures of Frank and Claire Underwood” won’t feel disappointed.
It will be a long wait for the next season, but luckily Netflix releases enough new shows to make you forget about that. Still, I’m looking forward to it.
Totally agree with your score – it was a great season. Personally preferred it to the more troubled 3rd season. It was a tougher watch. The one thing that I felt was a let down this season, was the last couple of episodes. The pacing was fantastic up until then. Though the final scene of the season totally had me – I’ve been waiting for Claire to break the fourth wall!!
I can understand the issues people had with the previous season. I do hope Claire will do that more in the next season!
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